According to a research paper by Ntanzi Ronald of Mackerere University in Uganda, tilapia are the world’s second-most important aquaculture species – following behind carp – “due to their high growth rates, being prolific breeders, completing their life cycle in captivity, tolerance to environmental stress and high market demand.”
In his paper, published earlier this year in The Journal of Aquaculture Research and Development and titled “The Effects of Stocking Density on the Growth and Survival of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Fry at Son Fish Farm, Uganda,” Ronald writes of Nile tilapia culture in the African nation, saying it can be traced back to the late 1940s “just after it had proved to do better than the carp in Uganda according to experiments that were carried out at the by then Kajjansi Experimental Station.
